WO2025057611A1 - Pipe joint assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a pipe joint assembly with which a problem encountered with conventional one-touch-type pipe joint assemblies can be solved. [Solution] A pipe joint assembly 1 comprises a male pipe joint 10 and a female pipe joint 30. When a male pipe joint body 16 of the male pipe joint 10 is inserted into a female-side passage 44 of the female pipe joint 30, a first sleeve 18 and a second sleeve 42 engage in the direction of a longitudinal axis L, M. When the male pipe joint body 16 is inserted to a position where a locking groove 22 thereof aligns with a locking element holding hole 38, a locking element 40 reaches a locking position and engages with the locking groove 22. At such time, the second sleeve 42 is pushed rearward by the first sleeve 18 and displaced to a locking position. Thus, the locking element 40 is held at the locking position, and the connection between the male pipe joint 10 and the female pipe joint 30 is completed. A first spring 26 that urges the first sleeve 18 rearward has greater urging force than a second spring 48 that urges the second sleeve 42 forward.

Description

Pipe Joint Assembly

The present invention relates to a pipe fitting assembly consisting of a male pipe fitting and a female pipe fitting that are detachably connected to each other, and in particular to a one-touch type pipe fitting assembly in which the connection is completed simply by inserting the male pipe fitting into the female pipe fitting.

In a pipe joint assembly consisting of a male pipe joint and a female pipe joint that are detachably connected to each other, a pipe joint assembly is known in which the connection is completed simply by inserting the male pipe joint into the female pipe joint. For example, in the pipe joint assembly of Patent Document 1, when a plug (male pipe joint) is inserted into a socket (female pipe joint), the plug abuts against a one-touch connection ball (operator) held in the socket, and when the plug is further inserted, the one-touch connection ball moves in the insertion direction and pushes and displaces the sleeve arranged on the outside of the socket. This allows the locking ball (locking element) held in the socket to be displaced radially outward, making it possible to further insert the plug. When the locking ball and the plug side groove formed on the outer circumferential surface of the plug are aligned in the insertion direction, the locking ball moves radially inward into the plug side groove, and the sleeve returns to its original position due to the biasing force of the spring. As a result, the locking ball is held in a state of being engaged with the plug side groove. In this way, the connection between the socket and the plug is completed with one touch (single operation).

In the pipe joint assembly of Patent Document 2, the socket has a collar arranged on its inside, and when in a disconnected state, this collar supports the locking element from the inside, holding it so that it does not protrude inward. When a plug is inserted into the socket, the plug pushes the collar, releasing the locking element from its hold. When the locking groove of the plug is aligned with the locking element, the locking element moves radially inward into the locking groove. This causes the sleeve of the socket to move forward due to the biasing force of the spring, holding the locking element in a position where it is engaged with the locking groove. In this way, the connection between the socket and plug is completed with a single touch.

Patent No. 4831619 Patent No. 6328691

In the pipe joint assembly disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is necessary to place a one-touch connection ball separately from the locking ball. Furthermore, since the one-touch connection ball must be held so that it can move over a certain distance in the plug insertion direction, the hole that holds it needs to be a long hole that extends long in the insertion direction. Generally, the formation of a long hole complicates the manufacturing process, which results in increased manufacturing costs. Furthermore, a structure in which the one-touch connection ball moves in the insertion direction to displace the sleeve may cause the one-touch connection ball to get caught, preventing smooth connection.

In the pipe joint assembly disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, a collar and a spring for biasing the collar are disposed inside the plug. Such a collar can move unintentionally when the plug is not properly inserted into the socket or when another component is mistakenly inserted into the plug. When this happens, even though the plug is not properly inserted, the locking element moves radially inward to the locking position and the sleeve moves forward, holding the locking element in the locking position. When the socket is in this state (a so-called erroneous locking or mislocking state), it becomes impossible to connect the plug to the socket.

The present invention aims to provide a pipe joint assembly that can resolve at least one of the various problems with conventional one-touch pipe joint assemblies as described above.

That is, the present invention provides:
A pipe fitting assembly comprising a male pipe fitting and a female pipe fitting which are detachably connected to each other,
The male pipe fitting comprises:
a male pipe fitting body extending cylindrically from the male connection end and having an engagement groove on an outer circumferential surface;
a first sleeve disposed on the outside of the male pipe fitting body and displaceable between a first position and a second position that is farther away from the male connection end than the first position;
a first spring biasing the first sleeve toward the first position;
Equipped with
The female pipe fitting is
a female pipe fitting body extending cylindrically from a female connection end, the female pipe fitting body having an outer circumferential surface, an inner circumferential surface defining a passage for receiving the male connection end of the male pipe fitting body, and a locking element retaining hole penetrating between the outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface;
a locking element that is held in the locking element retaining hole and is radially displaceable between a locking position where it protrudes from the inner circumferential surface of the female pipe fitting body and engages with the locking groove of the male pipe fitting body inserted into the passage from the female connection end, and a locking release position that is located radially outward of the locking position and where the locking element is released from engagement with the locking groove;
a second sleeve disposed on the outside of the female pipe joint body and displaceable between a first unlocking position that allows the locking element to be displaced to the unlocked position and a locked position that is located farther away from the female connection end than the first unlocking position and holds the locking element at the locked position;
a second spring biasing the second sleeve toward the first unlocked position;
Equipped with
A pipe fitting assembly is provided in which, by inserting the male pipe fitting body into the passage, the first sleeve and the second sleeve engage with each other, and when the locking element reaches the locking position and engages with the locking groove, the second sleeve is pushed by the first sleeve and displaced to the locking position.

In this pipe joint assembly, the second sleeve for holding the locking element in the locking position is biased toward the first unlocked position by the second spring, and in the unconnected state, the second sleeve is in the first unlocked position. During the connection operation, the second sleeve is pushed to the locked position by the first sleeve of the male pipe joint while compressing the second spring. In conventional one-touch pipe joints, when the locking element engages with the locking groove, the sleeve is displaced from the unlocked position to the locked position by the biasing force of the spring. Therefore, a structure is required to hold the sleeve in the unlocked position with the spring compressed. Specifically, an operator that is held so as to be displaceable in the direction of the longitudinal axis (insertion direction) and a collar arranged inside the female pipe joint body are required. In contrast, in this pipe joint assembly, the second sleeve is displaced from the first unlocked position to the locked position by being pushed by the first sleeve of the male pipe joint, not by the biasing force of the second spring. Therefore, there is no need to arrange an operator or collar that was necessary in conventional one-touch pipe joints. This makes it possible to simplify the structure of the female pipe fitting in particular. Also, there is no risk of the operating element getting caught during the connection operation, or the collar moving unintentionally, resulting in a false locking state.

In addition, the biasing force of the first spring can be made greater than the biasing force of the second spring.

Furthermore, the second sleeve can be displaced to a second unlocked position that is located farther from the female connection end than the locked position and allows the locking element to be displaced to the release position.

This makes it possible to release the connection by operating the second sleeve to either the first unlocking position or the second unlocking position.

Below, an embodiment of a pipe joint assembly according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a pipe joint assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention in a disconnected state. FIG. 2 is a first view showing a state in the middle of connection of the pipe joint assembly of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a second view showing a state in the middle of connection of the pipe joint assembly of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pipe joint assembly of FIG. 1 in a connected state. 2 is a view showing a state in which the second sleeve is retracted to release the coupling state of the pipe joint assembly of FIG. 1 . 2 is a view showing a state in which the second sleeve is advanced to release the coupling state of the pipe joint assembly of FIG. 1 .

As shown in FIG. 1, a pipe fitting assembly 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is made up of a male pipe fitting 10 and a female pipe fitting 30. As will be described later, the pipe fitting assembly 1 is designed to be connected in one touch by inserting the male pipe fitting 10 into the female pipe fitting 30.

The male pipe fitting 10 has a male pipe fitting body 16 having a front end 12 and a rear end (male connection end) 14, and a first sleeve 18 arranged on the outside of the male pipe fitting body 16. The male pipe fitting body 16 extends cylindrically from the rear end 14 along the longitudinal axis L, and has a male side passage 20 formed inside. The male pipe fitting body 16 also has an annular locking groove 22 formed on its outer circumferential surface 16a, and a protrusion 24 formed behind it (left side as viewed in the figure). The first sleeve 18 is arranged to be displaceable along the longitudinal axis L between a first position (Figure 1, etc.) and a second position (Figure 6) that is further forward (right side as viewed in the figure) from the rear end 14 than the first position. A first spring 26 is arranged between the male pipe fitting body 16 and the first sleeve 18. This first spring 26 urges the first sleeve 18 backward toward the first position. Therefore, in the unconnected state, the first sleeve 18 of the male pipe fitting 10 is held in the first position by the biasing force of the first spring 26.

The female pipe fitting 30 has a female pipe fitting body 36 having a front end (female connection end) 32 and a rear end 34, a locking element 40 held in a locking element holding hole 38 formed in the female pipe fitting body 36, and a second sleeve 42 arranged on the outside of the female pipe fitting body 36. The female pipe fitting body 36 extends cylindrically from the front end 32 along the longitudinal axis M and has a female side passage 44 formed inside. The locking element holding hole 38 is a conical hole that penetrates between the outer peripheral surface 36a of the female pipe fitting body 36 and the inner peripheral surface 36b that defines the female side passage 44. The locking element 40 is radially displaceable in the locking element holding hole 38 between an engagement position (Figure 1, etc.) where it protrudes radially inward from the inner peripheral surface 36b and an unlocked position (Figure 2) where it is located radially outward from the engagement position and does not protrude from the inner peripheral surface 36b. The second sleeve 42 is displaceable along the longitudinal axis M between a first unlocked position (FIG. 1, etc.) in which the support surface 46 protruding radially inward is in front of the locking element holding hole 38, and a locked position in which the support surface 46 is located further rearward from the front end 32 than the first unlocked position and aligned with the locking element holding hole 38. The second sleeve 42 is further displaceable to a second unlocked position (FIG. 5) in which the support surface 46 is located rearward from the front end 32 than the locked position and is behind the locking element holding hole 38. A second spring 48 is disposed between the female pipe fitting body 36 and the second sleeve 42. This second spring 48 biases the second sleeve 42 forward toward the first unlocked position. Thus, in the unconnected state, the second sleeve 42 of the female pipe fitting 30 is held in the first unlocked position.

When the male pipe fitting body 16 is inserted into the female side passage 44 from the front end 32 of the female pipe fitting body 36, as shown in FIG. 2, the protrusion 24 formed on the outer peripheral surface 16a of the male pipe fitting body 16 pushes the locking element 40 radially outward and holds it in the unlocked position. In addition, the first sleeve 18 and the second sleeve 42 engage in the direction of the longitudinal axis L, M. At this time, the second sleeve 42 cannot be displaced backward from the first unlocked position due to the locking element 40 in the unlocked position. When the male pipe fitting body 16 is further inserted into the female side passage 44 of the female pipe fitting body 36, as shown in FIG. 3, the first sleeve 18 is pushed toward the second position by the second sleeve 42 held in the first unlocked position, and the first spring 26 is compressed. Here, the biasing force of the first spring 26 is greater than the biasing force of the second spring 48. As a result, the second sleeve 42 is pushed backward by the first sleeve 18 and is pressed against the locking element 40.

When the male pipe fitting body 16 is further inserted, as shown in FIG. 4, the locking groove 22 of the male pipe fitting body 16 is aligned with the locking element retaining hole 38, and the locking element 40 can be displaced radially inward. Then, the locking element 40 is pushed radially inward by the second sleeve 42 to the locking position and engages with the locking groove 22. At the same time, the second sleeve 42 is pushed backward by the first sleeve 18 to the locking position. At this time, the first sleeve 18 is in the first position. The second sleeve 42 in the locking position is aligned with the support surface 46 of the locking element 40, and supports the locking element 40 from the radial outside and holds it in the locking position. The gap between the outer peripheral surface 16a of the male pipe fitting body 16 and the inner peripheral surface 36b of the female pipe fitting body 36 is sealed by a seal ring 50 arranged on the inner peripheral surface 36b. In this way, the male pipe fitting 10 and the female pipe fitting 30 are connected to each other.

When the second sleeve 42 is displaced from the connected state in FIG. 4 to the second unlocked position against the biasing force of the second spring 48 as shown in FIG. 5, the locking element 40 is able to be displaced to the radially outward release position. Therefore, by pulling the male pipe fitting 10 out of the female pipe fitting 30, the connection between the male pipe fitting 10 and the female pipe fitting 30 is released. At this time, the first sleeve 18 has not been displaced from the first position.

When the second sleeve 42 is displaced from the connected state shown in FIG. 4 to the first unlocked position as shown in FIG. 6, the locking element 40 can be displaced to the radially outer unlocked position. Therefore, by pulling the male pipe fitting 10 out of the female pipe fitting 30, the connection between the male pipe fitting 10 and the female pipe fitting 30 is released. When the second sleeve 42 is displaced to the first unlocked position, the first sleeve 18 is pushed by the second sleeve 42 to the second position. The operation of displacing the second sleeve 42 to the first unlocked position can also be performed by displacing the first sleeve 18 to the second position. In other words, by displacing the first sleeve 18 to the second position, the second sleeve 42, which was pushed backward by the first sleeve 18, is displaced forward to the first unlocked position by the biasing force of the second spring 48.

In the pipe fitting assembly 1, the male pipe fitting 10 and the female pipe fitting 30 are connected by simply inserting the male pipe fitting body 16 into the female side passage 44 of the female pipe fitting body 36. In the pipe fitting assembly 1, a one-touch connection structure is realized without using an operating element arranged to be displaced in the direction of the longitudinal axis (insertion direction) or a collar arranged inside the socket (female pipe fitting) as in the above-mentioned conventional technology. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the structure of the female pipe fitting 30 in particular. In addition, there is no risk of the operating element getting caught or the collar moving unintentionally to cause a false lock state. Furthermore, in the pipe fitting assembly 1, the connection can be released by operating the second sleeve 42 of the female pipe fitting 30 to the second unlocked position at the rear in addition to operating the second sleeve 42 of the female pipe fitting 30 to the first unlocked position at the front. The second sleeve 42 can also be set to the first unlocked position by operating the first sleeve 18 of the male pipe fitting 10. Therefore, the connection can be released by various operations depending on the installation situation. For example, if it is difficult to operate the second sleeve 42 of the female pipe fitting 30 to the first unlocked position at the front in the connected state, it can be operated to displace it to the second unlocked position at the rear. Or, if it is difficult to operate the second sleeve 42 itself, it is possible to release the connection by operating the first sleeve 18 of the male pipe fitting 10.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, the second sleeve of the female pipe fitting may be displaceable only between the first unlocked position and the locked position, and may not be displaced to the second unlocked position. The male pipe fitting body and the female pipe fitting body are not limited to those extending linearly along the longitudinal axis, and may be other shapes, such as an L-shape. In the connected state, the first sleeve of the male pipe fitting does not necessarily have to be held in the first position, and may be displaced to some extent from the first position to the second position. The position of the first sleeve in the connected state varies mainly depending on the relationship of the biasing force between the first spring and the second spring. The biasing forces of the first spring and the second spring may be of the same magnitude. In the present invention and the above embodiments, terms indicating positions and directions such as "front", "rear", "forward", and "rear" are used simply to clearly indicate the structure in the embodiment, and do not necessarily indicate the positions and directions in the actual state of use.

1 Pipe joint assembly 10 Male pipe joint 12 Front end 14 Rear end (male connection end)
16 Male pipe fitting body 16a Outer circumferential surface 18 First sleeve 20 Male side passage 22 Locking groove 24 Projection 26 First spring 30 Female pipe fitting 32 Front end (female side connection end)
34 Rear end portion 36 Female pipe joint body 36a Outer peripheral surface 36b Inner peripheral surface 38 Lock retaining hole 40 Lock 42 Second sleeve 44 Female side passage 46 Support surface 48 Second spring 50 Seal ring L Longitudinal axis M Longitudinal axis

Claims (3)

A pipe fitting assembly comprising a male pipe fitting and a female pipe fitting which are detachably connected to each other,
The male pipe fitting comprises:
a male pipe fitting body extending cylindrically from the male connection end and having an engagement groove on an outer circumferential surface;
a first sleeve disposed on the outside of the male pipe fitting body and displaceable between a first position and a second position that is farther away from the male connection end than the first position;
a first spring biasing the first sleeve toward the first position;
Equipped with
The female pipe fitting is
a female pipe fitting body extending cylindrically from a female connection end, the female pipe fitting body having an outer circumferential surface, an inner circumferential surface defining a passage for receiving the male connection end of the male pipe fitting body, and a locking element retaining hole penetrating between the outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface;
a locking element that is held in the locking element retaining hole and is radially displaceable between a locking position where it protrudes from the inner circumferential surface of the female pipe fitting body and engages with the locking groove of the male pipe fitting body inserted into the passage from the female connection end, and a locking release position that is located radially outward of the locking position and where the locking element is released from engagement with the locking groove;
a second sleeve disposed on the outside of the female pipe joint body and displaceable between a first unlocking position that allows the locking element to be displaced to the unlocked position and a locked position that is located farther away from the female connection end than the first unlocking position and holds the locking element at the locked position;
a second spring biasing the second sleeve toward the first unlocked position;
Equipped with
a male pipe fitting body is inserted into the passage, whereby the first sleeve and the second sleeve engage with each other, and when the locking element reaches the locking position and engages with the locking groove, the second sleeve is pushed by the first sleeve and displaced to the locking position. The pipe fitting assembly of claim 1, wherein the biasing force of the first spring is greater than the biasing force of the second spring. The pipe joint assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second sleeve is displaceable to a second unlocked position that is located farther from the female connection end than the locked position and allows the locking element to displace to the unlocked position.

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